Ask the Author: Kendall Dunkelberg
Answered Questions (7)
Kendall Dunkelberg
Having just finished Rachel Hall's, Heirlooms, I would love to go to Saint-Malo, France, to see and smell the ocean as the tide comes in. Sitting in a cafe with a carafe of wine would be nice, too. Since it's fiction, I would have the paté, even though in real life, I'm vegetarian and would opt for a really nice cheese instead.
Kendall Dunkelberg
I rarely experience writer's block. What I find is more common is that the demands of a job and daily life take over and I don't have enough time for writing. In those times, I either have to learn not to beat myself up about it and/or I have to find time for writing, even if that is only a few moments here and there. If I can create the time and mental space for writing, I can trust that something will come of it. That isn't always what I think it will be — I might write a blog post rather than a poem — but something gets written and that something will take me somewhere that could lead to the next poem.
Kendall Dunkelberg
The best thing about being a writer is connecting with other writers and readers. Since I teach creative writing, I get to do this all the time. One of the highlights of my year is always the Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium, which I direct at Mississippi University for Women (and which is free to the public). Here I get to establish connections with great writers and bring them to a diverse audience.
Kendall Dunkelberg
My best advice is to write. Don't let the fear of not being 'good enough' stop you. The next best advice is to read a lot, so you will develop your sense of what 'good enough' means for you. The third best advice is probably to seek out other writers whose work is like yours and get their feedback (in exchange for your feedback on their writing). That may mean taking a class or enrolling in a creative writing program or a summer workshop. Though an academic degree isn't necessary to become a writer, the community you find in a program can be the best thing for your writing.
Kendall Dunkelberg
Besides working on the final editing of my new book, "Barrier Island Suite," I am working on a fourth book of poems, which so far is untitled but which is a little over half finished. These poems are more like the ones in my second book, "Time Capsules," that are more or less autobiographical. One interesting development for me has been the inclusion of a haiku sequence.
Kendall Dunkelberg
Inspiration comes from many sources. As I said in my last answer, research can provide inspiration, as can going to a museum, listening to a concert, or go attending a reading. The most common place I go to for inspiration are daily walks with our dog. Looking for quiet times and developing regular habits allow inspiration to come more frequently. And sometimes, you just have to sit down and try to write even when you're not inspired. Inspiration can come from the process of writing.
Kendall Dunkelberg
My forthcoming book of poems, "Barrier Island Suite," was inspired by the life and art of Walter Inglis Anderson. The initial inspiration came when Christopher Mauer spoke about Anderson to the Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium. Later, I read Mauer's biography of him "Fortune's Favorite Child," Anderson's "Horn Island Logs," and Agnes Grinstead Anderson's biography, "Approaching the Magic Hour." I've also explored Anderson's art at the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS, and in published art books.
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